The Spiritual Forum

Most of us experience frustration in the world of people, places and things. We want things to be different than they are! We also may fear what the future may hold. Even though we don’t have control over conditions outside us, we can use the practice of prayer to raise our consciousness so we can see things rightly. We center ourselves in love, and stand in the intersection of acceptance and change. In this episode Rev. Carol lays out a process for praying when things aren't the way we want, and we share our own experiences.

Prayer is an act of love. It is also a creative and connecting activity. In prayer, we unite with the Divine. There are many ways to pray – supplication, thanksgiving, and affirmative, to name just a few. Affirmative prayer is noticeably different from other forms of prayer because it comes from a completely different place. It is prayer from a conscious awareness of God, versus prayer to God. In this episode, Rev. Carol presents a step-by-step affirmative prayer process and we share our experiences with holding intentions for ourselves through personal prayer.

There are deep divisions occurring between us that manifest in multiple ways. The media feeds on fear and division and keeps us stirred up. This is the time to be in spiritual practice and do deep integrative spiritual work. In this episode, we discuss the ideal of "One Nation, Under God (divine guidance/protection), Indivisible," and ultimately "One Self, Under God, Indivisible." Our work is to do what we can: avoid ‘us versus them’ thinking/conversations, act in alignment with our inner Truth, heal trauma and integrate our hidden shadow – the parts of us we keep hidden from ourselves and others. When we do this important work, we will be able to hold differing subjective realities and refrain from hurtful projection. Ultimately this leads us to deeper, authentic connection.

Within each of us are feminine and masculine archetypes. On the spiritual path, we seek to balance these energies and allow their sacred forms to emerge in us. The Sacred Masculine manifests as informed action, protection, discipline, order and strength through healthy boundaries. He stands firmly in Truth, and will lay down his life for it. The energies of the Sacred Masculine are greatly needed today to bring about planetary balance, protect freedom, protect the Earth, step fearlessly through change, speak Truth, and establish Order. In this episode we share how the Sacred Masculine expresses in us and where we see opportunities for its emergence.

Fear is part of being human. We all experience it. But it is useful to know that it is one of the lower energetic expressions. Fear, guilt and shame are some of the most effective ways to manipulate people. And if you are awake, you are seeing these three energies being used in our current world. Whatever is causing us to experience fear, it is important to remember that its presence is a call to Faith, Strength and Courage. In this episode we share the spiritual practices we use to support us in moving from fear to Faith.

Listening is an act of the heart. It takes time and patience to listen and be a container for another person. It also takes a certain level of inner surrender and openness. We all have someone in our lives who talks a lot or even rambles, making it challenging to want to listen. We also have difficulty listening to people with different views or opinions. Sometimes we are distracted or in a hurry and don't take the time to pause and listen. But everyone wants to be heard. In this episode we share our blocks to listening and our experiences of ‘having ears to hear’ another, especially the still, small voice within.

With protests and riots erupting in cities across our nation over the death of George Floyd, we are all stunned, disoriented, angry and feeling despair. As the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr said, "we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." Our nation seems plunged into a state of chaos and out of it, we have the power to shape a better world in closer alignment with the Truth of our being - Love and justice for all. In this episode we share our thoughts and feelings about what is happening in our nation and also what we see in ourselves regarding division.

Life is ecstatically beautiful. A new baby is awake to it. But somewhere along the way, most of us stopped paying attention to the beauty of the world and got entrenched in another one. We became conditioned to think that beauty is subjective, something we decide. But what if we could see beauty in everything – as God’s handwriting? What if beauty spawned our feelings of love? When we slow down, pause, become present and behold beauty in all its magnificence, we can fall in love with life and see everything in a new way. In this episode we share our relationship with and experience of beauty, and how we can make it a centerpiece of our lives.

Sacred Mother is an archetype and a planetary energy. She embodies the energies of love, comfort, care and healing, and is the feminine nature of God. On our spiritual paths we are called to awaken to the Sacred Mother in her many forms and integrate her into our being. When we do this important work, we balance ourselves and bring balance to the world. Sacred Mother can be found in our religious traditions, our Mother Earth, in God, our own mother figures and within. Ultimately, when we are able to see her in everything, we will know God in a deeper way. In this episode we share our personal experience of the Sacred Mother and how we can celebrate her.

We are body, mind and spirit. Our body is a holy container. Our mind is the center of our sovereignty in the physical world. Our Spirit is the center of Self, our authentic nature. To be fully alive and true to our nature, we need to be deeply connected with our body, mind and spirit. We need to provide life-giving nourishment to each. What we are more apt to do however, is take good care of one aspect of ourselves and neglect the others. In this episode we share the ways we nourish our body, mind and spirit, and where we see ourselves as being out of balance. Restoring balance is key to spiritual living and is another way we 'seek first the Kingdom.’